Kadubu — The sweet tradition: A glimpse into Karnataka’s Ganesh Chaturthi feast

Kadubu — The sweet tradition: A glimpse into Karnataka’s Ganesh Chaturthi feast

Mangalore Today News Network / News18

September 20, 2023: As Ganesh Chaturthi approaches, people all across the country are gearing up for the special day in various ways. In Karnataka, a delectable sweet dish called kadubu takes centre stage as an offering to Lord Ganesh. Here’s a glimpse of the traditional recipe:

 

To craft kadubu, begin by soaking rice in water.

Next, grind rice with coconut to create a mixture, setting it aside in a vessel.

Combine jaggery syrup, crushed puttellu, and puri with the mixture in the vessel, ensuring a smooth paste.

Spread this paste onto turmeric leaves, covering them before cooking.

Cook the prepared leaf on a pan or utensil for a certain duration until it’s ready.

Kadubu comes in various forms, including unsweetened versions, adding to the festive culinary diversity. Types of kadubu include kotte kadubu, karida kadubu, bele kadubu, aloo kadubu, and corn khara kadubu. Kotte kadubu is made from a blend of fermented rice and urad dal, steamed within a jackfruit leaf mould, sometimes infused with turmeric or screw pine for fermentation.

Karida kadubu, on the other hand, involves deep frying rather than steaming. Bele kadubu features a filling comprising toor dal, jaggery, coconut, and cardamom. Aloo kadubu incorporates a filling of mustard leaves, chillies, ginger, garlic, curry leaves, onion, and boiled potato, and can be either steamed or deep-fried. Lastly, corn khara kadubu presents a filling of boiled sweet corn, coriander leaves, and basic spices, with the option to be steamed or fried.